Wimbledon 2021: Novak Djokovic vs Kevin Anderson preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs Kevin Anderson

Date: 30 June 2021

Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: London, Great Britain

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Grass

Prize money: £17,066,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Novak Djokovic vs Kevin Anderson preview

Novak Djokovic is on the hunt for a sixth Wimbledon crown this year, and a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title. And the Serb is on a sizzling run of form at the moment, having won 15 Grand Slam matches in a row - including the Australian Open and the French Open titles in 2021.

Djokovic is also on a 15-match winning streak at the Championships, having won the trophy in 2018-19 before beating local favorite Jack Draper in the first round on Monday. The 34-year-old slipped up in the first set, but rebounded quickly to take a comfortable 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win.

Novak Djokovic will now take on South Africa's Kevin Anderson in the second round, in what will be a repeat of the Wimbledon 2018 final.

Kevin Anderson

That said, Anderson is far removed from the player he was three years ago. The South African has been plagued with injury issues for over a year now, and comes into the tournament ranked outside the top 100.

Anderson likes playing on grass though, and he used his big serve to win two matches at Nottingham in the lead-up to Wimbledon. He has set up the encounter against Djokovic with a four-set win over qualifier Marcelo Barrios Vera on Monday.

Novak Djokovic vs Kevin Anderson head-to-head

The second round match at Wimbledon is the 12th professional meeting between the two players, and Novak Djokovic currently leads the head-to-head 9-2 over Kevin Anderson.

The pair have met thrice on grass, with all three of those matches coming at Wimbledon. Djokovic defeated Anderson on his way to the title at SW19 in 2011, 2015 and 2018.

Novak Djokovic vs Kevin Anderson prediction

Considering he is the top contender to lift the Wimbledon trophy this year, Novak Djokovic comes into the second-round encounter as the overwhelming favorite.

Djokovic's serve played a crucial role in his win over Draper, but all the other aspects of his game looked solid too. The Serb's groundstrokes had depth and power, and his return was particularly effective in the final three sets.

Novak Djokovic

Kevin Anderson, on his part, will look to use his serve to dictate the rallies as far as possible. The South African can still smash down bombs when he makes full use of his 6'8" frame, and even a returner of Djokovic's caliber will find it hard to get every return back in play on grass.

If Anderson avoids making too many mistakes off the ground, he could take a set or two to a tiebreaker. And Djokovic has been relatively poor in tiebreakers this year, winning just 7 of the 15 he has played.

That said, it is hard to see Anderson being error-free enough to push the Serb to his limit. Djokovic has all the tools to nullify Anderson's biggest weapons, and he should be expected to move into the next round comfortably.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.